High School Isn't Cheap

AROUND THE NEK- The Northeast Kingdom is home to some highly ranked high schools, three of them being right here in Caledonia County.

Lyndon Institute, St. Johnsbury Academy, and Burke Mountain Academy have all been recognized nationally for their academics as well as their athletic programs. However, with this prestige comes a price, which is something each school has to decipher every year. For semi private schools like Lyndon Institute and St. Johnsbury Academy, a portion of their budget comes from the town.

"I want to show the public in our districts that we are being responsible with our budget setting process, that we're thoughtful, and that we're aware of all the issues." says St. Johnsbury Academy's head master, Tom Levett.

A little over 5 million dollars of St. Johnsbury's budget went toward the school this past academic year. While Lyndon Institute's annual report shows that about 200 thousand dollars comes from the state. Both of these institutions receive tuition increases each year, with St. Johnsbury Academy's most recent increase being 2 percent and Lyndon Institutes being .5 percent.

"We run several models. We find out which model will allow us to provide the things we need to provide without really handcuffing the taxpayers and putting too much of a burden on them." says Levett.

St. Johnsbury academy averages at around 50 thousand dollars a year for boarding students and 16 thousand dollars a year for day students. Lyndon Institute costs around 42 thousand dollars for boarding students, and 14 thousand for day students. Burke mountain Academy, a private institution, costs 53 thousand dollars for boarding students, and 40 thousand dollars for day students.

Now, comes the time to start thinking about prices for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, where St. Johnsbury plans for a definite tuition increase.

"It'll go up a little bit. We will just talk about the process that we use to figure out what that amount will be." says Levett.